With a mix of a tough non-conference, long road stretches, and a challenging conference, the Monarchs will have opportunities to prove themselves as one of the best teams in the Sun Belt
Old Dominion enters the 2025–26 season looking to build on last year’s strong finish under first year Head Coach Mike Jones. With a mix of a tough non-conference, long road stretches, and a challenging conference, the Monarchs will have opportunities to prove themselves as one of the best teams in the Sun Belt.
For more on their reshaped roster, click here.
Non-Conference
Old Dominion tips off the 2025–26 campaign on the road in the MAC-SBC Challenge, taking on Miami (OH) on Nov. 3. The Monarchs will then return to Norfolk three days later to host Randolph in their home opener.
ODU welcomes Norfolk State on Nov. 11 before heading out for a two-game road trip. The Monarchs will travel to George Washington (Nov. 15) and Big East powerhouse Xavier (Nov. 18).
Returning home on Nov. 21, Old Dominion faces Morgan State before heading on one of their longest road stretches of the season. The Monarchs will travel to Philadelphia to face Drexel (Nov. 23) and Villanova (Nov. 25), followed by a swing through Virginia to meet William & Mary (Nov. 30) and Richmond (Dec. 6). They wrap up this stretch on Dec. 13 with George Mason.
The Monarchs close out non-conference play at Maryland on Dec. 28. Old Dominion will also host a MAC opponent in early February as part of the second leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
Conference
Old Dominion begins Sun Belt play at home, hosting James Madison on Dec. 17 and Coastal Carolina on Dec. 20. They’ll close out 2025 in Chartway Arena with a New Year’s Eve game against App State.
To open 2026, the Monarchs stay in Norfolk for one more game, welcoming Georgia Southern on Jan. 3 before hitting the road for their first conference trip of the year. This trip will include visits to Coastal Carolina (Jan. 8) and James Madison (Jan. 10)
The road swing continues the following week with trips to Georgia Southern (Jan. 15) and App State (Jan. 17), marking four straight games away from home. The Monarchs finally return to Chartway Arena on Jan. 21 to host Troy, then Louisiana three days later.
ODU closes out January on the road once again, traveling to Arkansas State (Jan. 28) and Texas State (Jan. 31). Before the MAC-SBC Challenge, the Monarchs will host ULM on Feb. 4.
Following the challenge, Old Dominion will have a pair of key home games, Marshall (Feb. 11) and Georgia State (Feb. 14). This is also the Monarchs final home games of the year.
The Monarchs wrap up conference play with a three-game road trip, starting at Southern Miss (Feb. 21) and finishing with Marshall (Feb. 25) and Georgia State (Feb. 27). The Sun Belt Conference Tournament is Mar. 3–9 in Pensacola, Florida.
With one of the most demanding schedules in the conference, the Monarchs’ depth will be tested early and often. If they can be good defensively, and play up to what we expect on offense, Old Dominion will be a big factor in the conference.
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